Characters

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  Brent Kennedy

  Morgan Kelly

  Brent started out as Julianne’s assistant at River Rock Publishing, but his brown-nosing paid off when Julianne’s promotion meant one for him as well. Unequivocally metrosexual, he is a flirtatious gossip but surprisingly straight. Always fabulously put-together with slicked hair and custom-tailored suits, Brent is perpetually dressed and ready for success. Since the beginning, Brent has been compassionate toward Erica; after all, he was in a similar position not so long ago. While maintaining his allegiance to Julianne, Brent has connected with Erica. He knows what it takes to make it in Julianne’s good books and willingly helps Erica along the way. But as Erica’s star rises, jealousy creeps in and Brent cannot help but worry if he is being replaced.

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  Julianne Giacomelli

  Reagan Pasternak

  Erica’s boss. Julianne is the young, hip Editorial Director of Non-Fiction at River Rock Publishing. Having recently edited The Secret of Now, the bestselling self-help novel by Thomas Friedken, Julianne is on a mission to prove her merit in the publishing world. She is more than a pretty face; she is aggressive, competitive, and ready to take River Rock to the top. Initially hired as her assistant, Erica found her early relationship with Julianne somewhat frosty. Julianne has since recognized Erica’s potential and has promoted her to Junior Editor – after all, Erica may be a valuable asset to have on her side. Charged with creating the next non-fiction bestseller, Julianne will need to pull out all the stops to maintain her indispensibility at River Rock. No question, Julianne has the ability to do so, just as long as she keeps her personal affairs personal.

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  Jenny Zalen

  Paula Brancati

  Erica’s wild, party-animal, untamed and untamable close friend. A trust-fund child, Jenny’s privileged upbringing has impacted on her adult work ethic, mainly in that she does not believe in having one. In high school, Jenny was the peppy, funny, popular girl. She was and still is the girl who can always be depended on to dance on tables, get wasted and flip off bouncers. She can party all night long and take home a different man night after night. Jenny lives for that rush of adrenaline. She has a difficult time concentrating on one thing at a time, and often jumps from one crazy idea to the next. Tijuana and tequila anyone? No worries, drinks are on her.

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  Judith Winter

  Vinessa Antoine

  Erica’s best friend. Judith’s life can be divided into two different phases: pre-baby and post-baby. Prebaby, Judith was at the peak of her professional career. Having sailed through high school, university and law school, Judith found her passion and translated it into an incredible career in Law.

  Erica and Judith have been good friends since their final year of high school. But since then, Judith has always been the successful, responsible, put-together one. So much so, that Erica still finds herself standing in Judith’s shadow as her ‘wacky friend’.

  Today, Judith is in an entirely different phase of her life. Always game to tackle new challenges, she may have met her greatest challenge yet: the birth of her son Max. Judith’s world is changing before her eyes, as she re-evaluates her priorities and learns what it takes to balance her various roles as mother, lawyer, wife and friend.

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  Leo Strange

  Devon Bostick

  Erica’s beloved older brother. He was protective and caring of his younger sisters while they were growing up. In many ways, he suffered from typical teenage/early twenties angst, perpetually seeking independence and freedom from his overbearing parents.

  A skateboarder, a pot smoker, a partier… Leo does his thing with confidence, and without looking back. He may not be the hottest guy on campus; however, his cool and his down-to-earth nature make him perpetually endearing to the ladies.

  Leo’s untimely death destroyed Erica and still haunts the entire Strange family. Erica and Leo were so close, so unlike the problem relationship she has with Samantha. It is something Erica will never be able to get over, but something that she will have to learn to move on from.

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  Samantha Strange

  Joanna Douglas

  Erica’s sister. Samantha is an accomplished young surgeon, married to her high-school sweetheart Josh MacIntosh, an investment banker. For a woman barely 30 years old, Samantha seems to have her life under control. While the girls were growing up, Sam’s parents praised her for being the sweet one, the smart one, the easy, quiet one they never had to worry about.

  Eventually, the flaws in Sam and Josh’s relationship become increasingly evident to more than just Erica. Sam resents Erica’s vocal disapproval of her husband, while Erica worries about her sister’s wellbeing. As a result, the two have had an increasingly turbulent relationship. Sam is clearly unhappy, but afraid to admit it — to herself and to others. Trapped in a loveless marriage, she has reached a point in her life where she needs to make some difficult decisions that could potentially change the course of her future forever.

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  Barbara Strange

  Kathleen Laskey

  Erica’s mother. Barb has always put the needs of her family before her own, wanting the best — or at least, what she considers the best — for her children. Part of this was protecting her children from knowing the truth about their father’s affair. Now that Erica has uncovered it, she is working to mend the gap that 13 years of wrongful accusations has created in her relationship with her mother.

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  Gary Strange

  John Boylan

  Erica’s father. As a young adult, Gary was a rebellious, free-spirited hippie. But that lifestyle changed when he became a father and settled down with his wife Barb in the suburbs. After becoming dissatisfied with his meaningless career as a salesman, Gary heard the call to return to his faith. He is now a reform rabbi at a local synagogue.

  Erica has always felt a closer bond to her father than to her mother. During one of her sessions with Dr Tom, however, she learns the truth about her parents’ separation. Gary had an affair and it was his infidelity that caused Barb to leave him three months after Leo’s death. This discovery plagues Erica, who had wrongfully sided with her father for years, blaming Barb for the broken home.

  Today, Gary is still trying to make up for the mistakes he made in the past. While this is no simple task, he is determined to rebuild his relationship with his daughters, and perhaps even with his ex-wife, all the while coping with the death of his only son.

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  Ethan Wakefield

  Tyron Leitso

  One of Erica’s closest friends since undergrad, Ethan is the consummate gentleman: mild-tempered, humble and sensitive. He also just happens to be a heartthrob, with a boyish smile that can make you weak at the knees. A beloved elementary school teacher, Ethan is both responsible and exceedingly charming. He cares unconditionally for Erica and sees in her all the talent and beauty she rarely acknowledges.

  After graduating from university, Ethan moved to Montreal to marry his steady girlfriend, Claire. They separated a decade later, after Ethan discovered Claire’s infidelity. He has since moved back to Toronto and into the apartment next door to Erica. With a few knocks on the wall and a weekly movie night, the two quickly rekindled their friendship. Throughout Series 1, their relationship developed until the two finally acknowledged their true feelings for one another.

  In Series 2, Ethan finds himself coping with the significance of the decisions he made in Series 1. Was jumping from a broken heart into a new relationship the right decision for him? Only time will tell…

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  Dr. Tom

  Michael Riley

  The mastermind behind Erica’s therapy, Dr Tom is caring and compassionate one moment, sarcastic and withdrawn the next. Despite these lightning changes, it always feels as though he has his hand on the rudder, that he is watching out for Erica.

  Or is he? By the end of Series 1, Dr Tom is at his wit’s end. Erica’s defiance has clearly weighed heavily on him, leaving the fate of their relationship unknown. Despite the progress Erica has made, it seems Dr Tom has given up, breaking his own commitment to Erica and the journey which he started her on.

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  Erica Strange

  Erin Karpluk

  When we first met Erica Strange, she was single, working in a dead-end job, and with little hope for the future. Over the course of Series 1, things started to pick up for her and a series of therapy sessions with the mysterious Dr Tom allowed her to travel back in time to make some changes in her life. Suddenly, she was reliving her Bat Mitzvah, facing off against the intimidating Professor Lozar, and finding closure after the death of her brother Leo.

  It is now nearly a year since it all began, and Erica is enjoying the fruits of her therapy. She has landed a hot new job as Junior Editor at River Rock Publishing and is now in a stable relationship with Ethan, her best friend from undergrad. Tensions remain high in her family, but Erica is finally addressing the problems and working toward resolving them.

  Series 2 finds Erica worldlier, more accountable and more experienced in the ways of time-travel and therapy. As she continues to move forward in her journey, she will come to understand that changing her life is not a quick fix, but involves facing an ever-expanding series of challenges.